As we left the Marlins game on Monday night, Marla Birman turned to me and said: “so how are you going to connect the Marlins game to this week’s Torah portion for your weekly article?” Hmm. Game on. Chaim Gross, another member of the community, pointed out this week, that July 4th 1776,coincided that year with the fast of the 17th of Tammuz. Though he didn’t challenge me for some interpretation on the significance of that, I felt the pressure anyway…
Hey, Divine Providence is Divine Providence, and interpretation of life’s events and awarenesses beckon…
As it turned out, the Marlins Vs. Cardinals game was a great game, with the Marlins winning by a run. A great game notwithstanding, a number of people who attended, shared that the highlight of the game, was davening (praying) Mincha/Mariv at the stadium. I didn’t actually ask for them to break down why it was a highlight, but I suspect that it might be for some of these reasons.
It was a reminder that G-d is accessible anywhere, even at the Ball Park.
It felt good to proudly express our Jewishness at the Ball Park, surrounded by tens of thousands of non-Jewish fans.
As people noticed us praying, not a jeer or comment was hurled our way. Those who noticed, either didn’t give it much thought, or were quietly respectful.
The Torah portion of this week- Pinchas, contains a section about the twice daily sacrifices that were brought in the Temple, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In the absence of the Temple, we have the daily morning and afternoon prayers in their stead. While we don’t sacrifice lambs today, to pray twice a day does call for a sacrifice of time. When I could be working out, watching netflix, catching up on news, shopping, or just relaxing, and instead take some time to pray each morning and night, that to G-d, is a “pleasing aroma”. It says to G-d that your relationship with Him matters to you, because you know how much it matters to Him. You realize how special it is for G-d, when you “check in” with Him twice a day, even if just for a few minutes.And it’s all the more special when you “check in” at a Ball Park…. Even in a place so distracting, you didn’t forget. Ah Amazing! “A pleasing aroma to G-d”.
Which leads me to the 4th of July/Seventeenth of Tammuz connection, which for the record, according to AI, has no connection… Here’s what chatGPT had to say , when I asked for one: “While the dates of July 4th and the Seventeenth of Tammuz may coincide on occasion due to differences between the Hebrew calendar and the Gregorian calendar, there is no inherent connection or shared historical significance between these two events. They belong to different cultural and historical contexts and are observed by different communities for separate reasons.”
Apparently AI, has yet to realize that at some level, everything is connected! Especially dates… So here's my non-AI, take. The Seventeenth of Tammuz represents the beginning of the Jewish exile into the Diaspora. Initially the Diaspora was Babylon then Rome and Egypt and other countries in the Middle East. The migration of Jews eventually brought us to America - the land of the free, and a beacon of light of the freedom to the rest of the world.
Although the exile which began on the Seventeenth of Tammuz was a result of the sins that brough the Temple down, our exile to foreign lands, is not merely a displacement of Jews. The exile is all part of G-d’s plan to plant Jews all over the world, to gather sparks of holy energy and transform the whole world into a “holy land”.
Most of our exile tested our commitment to G-d amid persecution. America, was the new frontier. How well will we fare as Jews when we aren't being persecuted, living in a land of freedom and prosperity….. And how does the average American view the Jew who is openly proud of their Jewish identity?
Not only is davening at the ballpark a way of demonstrating to G-d that we are mindful of Him even there, it is part of our mission to gather sparks of holiness in every environment, including right there in the stadium. And when we do our job well, the average American is totally cool with it. It looks right, feels right, ‘cause it is right.
The prophets say that the fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz, as well as all the fasts associated with the destruction of the Temple, will all be transformed into days of rejoicing in the Messianic era. And that’s in part, because the exile that the fast days commemorate, paved the way for Jews to be global spark gatherers, in turn paving the way toward global redemption.
One “small” Mincha for man at the ballpark, one giant step for mankind, toward redemption,
